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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Nigeria's Movie Industry Needs A New Name?

Reports indicate that the name you see up there no longer belongs to Nigeria..........A Nigerian guy living in the States, Nicholas Opara now owns the name Nollywood.....

According to the United States Patent and Trademark office, the trademark was issued to Nicholas of Kirkland, WA. on December 03, 2013. What this means is that Nicholas Opara now has legal ownership of the term "Nollywood" and every time someone uses that term, they either have to get permission from him or pay him royalties, making it a potential cash cow for him.Does anyone know this Nicholas guy?I need to make contact with him and find out how true this is and if true,what his plans are and what he intends to do with the name.

The name was Stupid anyway, and so not Original. The Original Hollywood is actually a City, a kind of Film Village, let AGN come together to create a catchy and indegenious name, I hear names like "Iroko tv" "Ibaka" "Ndani Tv" and I know without being told that this is an African . based Site. They should just look for a sweet name without wood. + I heard the name "Nollywood" was 1st used by Oyibo people to spite us and we just allowed the name stick. Gollywood, Bollywood and co should be patented too.

Ndi ara, fa sholu Iri, case he does not know, we don't use the term nollywood in our movies. Wet in be the wood sef . we would call it the Nigerian Movie Industry, register that sucker.... Plus when did USA trademark start covering Naija. Anyway that one concern him

That's very selfish of him if it's true. What does he stand to gain from this? Everyone knows it's the name we use for our own movie industry. Lawyer's in the house how does this affect our own movie industry?

So the Nigerian Film Industry and their lawyers did not deem it fit to patent Nollywood... Choi, this guy don hammer o....Choi. why I no think say our movie producers, actors and all involved with nollywood na dundees like this.... how i wish i thought of this to patent it first.

This Nicholas Opara guy is a thief. Intelligent move on his part but what makes him think there isn't a patten on it in Nigeria? Anyways, I'm certain the boards of Nollywood can dispute it in any court.

If he intends to muscle current nollywood practitioners to part with cash, I doubt it... I doubt if the word "Nollywood" is a registered trademark even in nigeria. Its an informal name for the nigerian movie industry. Its gradually evolving into a regular word which requires no permission to use unless used to indicate a product. He won't make money from current nollywood players. That I'm sure.